Trump, Erdogan hold phone call on Qatar crisis

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday regarding the diplomatic isolation of Qatar by its Gulf neighbors, whose demands include the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly cut off economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar earlier this month and issued an ultimatum with 13 demands, accusing Doha of support for extremist groups. Qatar denies the claims.

Trump called on all sides to “work to stop terrorist funding and to combat extremist ideology,” according to a readout of the call.

Ankara, which has close ties with Doha but also maintains good relations with other Gulf states, is seeking to mediate the crisis.